Chair Laurenzo called the meeting to order with a quorum at 4:34 PM.
Present: L. Pittman, L. Bush, E. Payne, C. Eagles, G. Everett, J. Martin, J. Bradley, C. Taylor, P. Malone, B. Barkdoll, J. Rimoldi, D. Feller, D. Wilkins, A. Bomba, J. Reidy, M. Overby, John Watson, C. Williford, C. Mullen, V. Frierson-Adams, A. Canty, M. Tew, F. Laurenzo, T. Ray, L. Harper, J. Cassidy, M. Mendolia, M. Baggett, J. Williamson
Absent: J. Atkins, *J. Aubrey, *B. Avery, T. Bates, *B. Choinski, *R. Ethridge, *D. Graves, *S. Hargrove, T. McCarty, *K. McKee, J. Murray, J. F. Payne, J. Reidy, *K. Sabol, *R. Schroeder, *M. Slattery, L. Smith, *Jay Watson
* Prior notice given
Guest: Rachel Malone, Daily Mississippian
1. Announcements
A. Members of the Senate are invited to a meeting with Phil Pepper, who does economic research for the IHL Board. He will discuss the status of higher education budgeting. Time and place to be announced.
B. The post-tenure review policy proposed by IHL was distributed. It is quite similar to the proposal put forward by the Senate.
2. Tew moved and Martin seconded a motion to approve the February minutes. Passed without dissent. Reidy moved and Everett seconded a motion to approve the March minutes. Passed without dissent.
3. Old Buisiness
Tew reviewed the discussion from the last meeting concerning changes to the Senate Constitution and By-Laws. He moved that the changes in the By-Laws be approved, Martin seconded, and the motion passed without dissent. The approved changes in these rules (as well as changes in the Constitution) may be found at http://home.olemiss.edu/~eemdt/Senate/.
The discussion of changes in the Constitution continued the disagreement begun last month about the size of the Senate. Bradley moved and Malone seconded a motion that would reduce the size to one senator for each twelve faculty members and a reduction of a fraction of a unit from eight to seven. After extensive discussion, the question being called, this amendment to the main motion passed 20-5. The question being called on the main motion, the motion passed.
The Senate considered the problem of convening a quorum for business purposes, and the question of how prior notices of absences are dealt with was discussed. Eagles moved that a senator who has missed four meetings for whatever reasons be dropped from membership, Ray seconded, and the motion passed without dissent.
Bradley noted that the issue of the quorum will be governed by the Senate's By-Laws.
4. New Business
Tew distributed lists of Standing Committees and their memberships for the coming year. Taylor moved and Everett seconded a motion to approve the list. The motion passed without dissent.
The chair was asked about the rumor that a new school is being formed in the University. After some discussion of the issue of non-consultation with the faculty, Williamson moved and E. Payne seconded a motion to suspend the rules for purposes of introducing a resolution concerning the matter. The motion passed without dissent.
Bradley then introduced the following resolution:
The Senate recommends to the Chancellor that no significant steps should be made to create a new school on this campus unless the matter has been presented for consultation to the Senate of the Faculty in the spirit of the 1999 statement on governance of academic affairs submitted to SACS and agreed to by the administration and the Senate of the Faculty.
Williamson seconded the motion, and it passed without dissent.
The meeting concluded at 6:22 PM.